Who told the Donald that he’s fired?

Answer: Nobody yet, but some Macy’s customers think that it would be a good idea

Facing a petition from consumers to ‘dump’ Donald Trump as a spokesperson, Macy’s claims that marketing and politics have nothing to do with each other, despite using some of Trump’s famous political comments as inspiration in the company’s new campaign.

As a petition encouraging Macy’s to “Dump Donald Trump” continues to gain steam, with nearly 558,000 signatures, the retailer shows no sign of dropping the outspoken tycoon.

Here’s Macy’s thinking:

Macy’s has long featured Mr. Trump in its TV advertising and carries an exclusive line of Trump branded men’s apparel, home goods and a fragrance collection called “Success.” But the retailer is coming under fire for its partnership with Mr. Trump, who has raised the ire of consumers, especially throughout the recent election cycle.

The retailer says its marketing and merchandise offerings are not representative of any political position. “Many of the individuals associated with products sold at Macy’s — or at any retailer, for that matter — express personal opinions that are not related to the merchandise we sell or to the philosophies of our company,” said a Macy’s spokeswoman.

Macy’s new holiday campaign features Mr. Trump in a TV spot dubbed “Another Miracle on 34th Street.” In the spot he tugs on the beard of Kris Kringle to see for himself whether it really is Santa Claus. At the end of the spot, Mr. Trump is shown addressing a letter to Santa Claus, to which Mr. Kringle says, “If I can win you over, there’s still hope.”

The spot seems to make light of Mr. Trump’s conspiracy-theory tendencies. Of the new spot, Ms. Thomas said, “A longtime focus of Macy’s holiday advertising has been to celebrate the season’s spirit of generosity and goodwill through our ongoing ‘Believe’ campaign, and that is the sole message of our holiday television commercials.”